


the most reclusive man in town.

by pyroallerdyce



Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M, Inspired by Grease, Padmé is Sandy and Asajj is an evil Rizzo., Prompt Fic, Short One Shot, The Nightsisters are the Pink Ladies but awful, Tumblr Prompt, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, october writing challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-01
Updated: 2020-10-01
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:54:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26750221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pyroallerdyce/pseuds/pyroallerdyce
Summary: The man squeezed in between Asajj and one of her friends, winking at Padmé as he came to stand next to her, his hand slipping into hers.  “How are you doing today, darling?”“Better now that you’re here,” Padmé responded, and the man squeezed her hand.She turned her attention back to Asajj, allowing herself to smile when she saw the shock on Asajj’s face.  “Asajj, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend,” Padmé said, suddenly realizing she had no idea what this man’s name was.The man jumped in before Asajj would have a chance to notice that Padmé had stopped talking, squeezing Padmé’s hand again.  “Anakin Skywalker.  Nice to meet you,” he said, and Padmé swallowed hard as she realized just who this man was.or: Padmé is approached by the Nightsisters who want gossip about something that isn’t happening, and she is rescued from the situation by the most reclusive man in town.(these will really make little sense unless you read the whole series.)
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Series: (not at all spooky) skywalkers series [october writing challenge 2020] [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1947904
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40
Collections: October Writing Challenge - 2020





	the most reclusive man in town.

**Author's Note:**

> how do you break writer’s block? you try to write your way out of it with a writing challenge, i guess. welcome to the (not at all spooky) skywalkers series, an october writing challenge where i take a prompt every day and write something. because i feel determined to make this harder on myself, all 31 stories will be interconnected. we’re starting off with anakin/padmé, we’ll continue with han/leia, and we’ll finish up with ben/rey. some of these will be long, most i think will be short, none will be scary. but this is going to happen whether i have to painfully extract them from my brain or not.
> 
> all these prompts came from somewhere on tumblr.
> 
> if you like what you read here and you want to see more, please let me know via a comment or kudos or bookmark so that I know I'm not writing into a void. enjoy!
> 
> october first: "Thanks for helping me back there."

**1952**

Padmé was standing outside of the diner, looking around. Mon and Breha were supposed to meet her there, but it had been nearly half an hour and they still hadn’t shown up. She took a deep breath, told herself to give it five more minutes, and then if they didn’t show up, she would go home. She was in the middle of a painting and she really wanted to finish it before her inspiration went away. 

“Well, well, well, look at who it is!”

Padmé looked up to see Asajj Ventress and her group of friends that called each other the Nightsisters coming towards her, and she sighed heavily. The last thing she wanted at that moment was to deal with whatever it was Asajj was about to say. “Asajj,” she said calmly. “Can I help you with something?”

“You can tell me what it was you were doing with Sheev Palpatine the other night,” Asajj said as the Nightsisters surrounded Padmé. “You know the town's talking.”

Padmé rolled her eyes. “The town is only talking because you keep talking about this. He’s my art teacher, Asajj. We were discussing what I had painted in class.”

“Sure,” Asajj said. “Come on, Padmé. We’re smarter than that.”

“He’s my art teacher,” Padmé said again. “He is nothing more than that.”

“It wouldn’t be too far out of the question, you know. Ever since his wife died, he’s needed someone to fill that spot in both his life and his son’s.”

“Asajj, you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Padmé said, her voice hard. “Please leave me alone.”

“Padmé, you don’t have to lie,” Asajj said, giving her a creepy smile. “Come on, give me the gossip so I can start telling the whole town that you’re sleeping with Palpatine.”

Padmé tried to think of a way to get out of this, a way to make Asajj think that she had gotten some sort of gossip out of her but nothing that was actually true or would ruin hers or anyone else’s reputation. She hated to do it, but she knew that the only thing that was going to appease Asajj was to tell her about another guy.

Problem was that there was no other guy. She was as single as could be.

Just as Padmé was about to tell her about a boy in her art class that she was pretty sure Asajj had never heard of, she heard a voice to her left call out. “Darling! There you are! Sorry I’m late.”

Padmé turned her head and saw a gorgeous young man walk up next to one of the Nightsisters, and she couldn’t believe her luck. She decided to take the chance that he was offering her and broke out into a smile. “Honey, I knew you were going to be late because you always are. Don’t worry about it.”

The man squeezed in between Asajj and one of her friends, winking at Padmé as he came to stand next to her, his hand slipping into hers. “How are you doing today, darling?”

“Better now that you’re here,” Padmé responded, and the man squeezed her hand. 

She turned her attention back to Asajj, allowing herself to smile when she saw the shock on Asajj’s face. “Asajj, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend,” Padmé said, suddenly realizing she had no idea what this man’s name was.

The man jumped in before Asajj would have a chance to notice that Padmé had stopped talking, squeezing Padmé’s hand again. “Anakin Skywalker. Nice to meet you,” he said, and Padmé swallowed hard as she realized just who this man was.

Anakin Skywalker was the richest, most reclusive man in town. He’d been the sole heir to his father’s fortune, and when his father had unexpectedly died, Anakin had inherited everything as an eight-year-old. His mother Shmi had taken control then, hiring someone to do the day-to-day running of Skywalker Incorporated, the conglomerate that owned the banks and financial services that practically everyone in town used, until Anakin was ready to take on the role. He’d grown up in relative seclusion, attending boarding schools until he enrolled as a student in the university that dominated this small town in Vermont. He kept to himself, never flaunted who he was, and most people in town wouldn’t be able to recognize him by sight.

Why on earth was Anakin Skywalker doing this for her?

“Anakin Skywalker,” Asajj mused, bringing Padmé’s attention back to the situation she found herself in. “So you’re cradle robbing for money, Padmé. This is more interesting than the Palpatine stuff would have been. Thank you so much for giving me this gossip. The town is going to love it. Let’s go, girls.”

Padmé closed her eyes as Asajj and the Nightsisters walked away, taking a deep breath as Anakin let go of her hand. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, peering at her in concern. 

“Fine,” Padmé said, turning in the direction of the bus stop she needed and walking away. She didn’t know how to explain what had just happened to herself, let alone know of any way to speak to him about it. 

She headed to the bus stop with thoughts swirling around in her head, most of them focused on how Asajj and the Nightsisters were going to make it sound like she was going out with Anakin Skywalker. That she was, in Asajj’s words, cradle robbing for money. Padmé could just tell that her reputation was going to be destroyed by this, and she had no idea how she was ever going to explain that to her parents.

Anakin had tried to be a knight in shining armor, but he might have actually made everything worse.

Padmé wasn’t sure she had much of a reputation for being anything other than weird anyway. She was quiet but kind, and she was willing to agree when people said that she preferred painting to talking to others. At the age of twenty-three, she wasn’t quite considered to be of the age where her being unmarried was a concern, but she was heading in that direction and with there being no possibility of a relationship on the horizon, the thought of her being in one with Anakin Skywalker really was going to change everyone’s perception of her.

She arrived at the bus stop and sat down, knowing that the bus wouldn’t be there for at least another twenty minutes. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on the painting she was in the middle of. It was a beautiful landscape of the countryside near her grandparents’ farm, and she had just started the farmhouse that she knew she needed to get just right.

She sat there for a few moments before she felt someone sit down next to her, and she opened her eyes to find Anakin there, peering at her in concern. Padmé sighed heavily and forced a smile onto her face. "Thanks for helping me back there."

“Of course,” Anakin said, smiling back at her. “I am not a fan of the Nightsisters. They intimidate a lot of people in this town just to try and ruin people’s reputations. It’s sad, really.”

“Yeah, well, they’re going to destroy what little one I have,” Padmé said seriously. “I mean, it’s probably better it’s destroyed with this rumor than it would be the one that she wanted to spread, but my parents are not going to be happy.”

“You really believe that people thinking you’re dating me will destroy your reputation?” Anakin asked quietly. 

Padmé let out a small laugh. “You’re Anakin Skywalker. You’re the biggest catch in town. And girls like me don’t get guys like you. Everyone is going to think I’m just doing this for money.”

“I think you’ve got it wrong,” Anakin said. “Guys like me don’t get girls like you.”

Padmé looked over at him. “I’m nothing special.”

“I think that you’re very special.”

Padmé stared at him for a moment. “And how would you know that?”

Anakin’s cheeks flushed slightly. “I see you around town a lot. I think you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’ve wanted to get to know you better for a very long time.”

Padmé stared at Anakin in shock. “What?”

Anakin smiled at her. “You heard me.”

Padmé swallowed hard. “I meant what I said. I’m nothing special.”

“I’d like the chance to determine that myself.”

“Meaning?” Padmé asked.

“Meaning I’d like to go back to the diner, get a couple of milkshakes, and start getting to know each other better,” Anakin said nervously. “But if you don’t want that, I understand.”

Padmé stared at him for a few moments, thought about how much of a gentleman he was being, and then decided that getting to know him better wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. It might fuel the rumors that Asajj and the Nightsisters were no doubt going to spread, but she set that worry to the side. He had done something for her, so she would do something for him. “You know what, Anakin? I’d really like that.”

Anakin grinned and stood up, holding out his hand to Padmé. “Then allow me to escort you back to the diner.”

Padmé took his hand and stood, slipping her hand around his elbow when Anakin held out his arm. “Can we perhaps get more than just milkshakes?” she asked. “I was supposed to have dinner with my friends but they never showed up.”

Anakin laughed. “You can order the entire menu if you want.”

Padmé grinned. “I might take you up on that. I’m rather hungry.”

“That’s perfectly fine, Padmé. Perfectly fine.”

They went back to the diner and sat in a booth, ordered chocolate milkshakes and cheeseburgers, and talked until it was dark outside and Padmé realized she was going to miss curfew. Anakin walked with her back to her house, refused to leave without explaining to her parents that he’d accidentally kept Padmé late, and then kissed her hand before leaving. Padmé knew that her parents and sister had nine billion questions about how her dinner with Mon and Breha ended with Anakin Skywalker on their doorstep, but she’d explain another day. For now, she was going to go work on the painting that she’d been telling Anakin about and try desperately not to think about blue eyes and the feeling of Anakin’s hand in hers.

Oh, this was going to be a problem, wasn’t it?


End file.
